But at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the pressure will be laid firmly in the direction of Manchester City, as the big-spending giants come under more scrutiny, with expectations of their success even higher given their colossal investments.

And as we've seen this season, City haven't responded well to pressure—most visible in their debut UEFA Champions League campaign, as well as in their recent run of matches.

That will no doubt work in the away side's favour on Sunday.

Manchester City's Slump in Form

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The form book for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur couldn't be more different at the moment.

Spurs are flying high, with just one defeat in their last ten games, as well as six wins and three draws.

City, on the other hand, are wobbling all over the place, having lost two of their last three games.

In their previous ten matches, the Citizens have lost four times, winning five and drawing one.

And that contrasting form should give the North London side the psychological advantage on Sunday.

Revenge for the 5-1

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Tottenham Hotspur will have the 5-1 defeat they suffered to Manchester City at White Hart Lane fresh in their minds this weekend, and almost certainly will seek revenge.

We saw how Manchester United picked City apart in the FA Cup, avenging that acrimonious 6-1 reverse at Old Trafford.

And they could be on the end of another backlash for a stunning away performance, as the Lilywhites will look to avenge the sobering defeat suffered last August.

Tottenham Hotspur Have More to Prove

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Tottenham Hotspur seemingly want to prove themselves as worthy contenders for the Premier League title.

Harry Redknapp insisted his team are challengers, while Rafael Van der Vaart talked up Spurs' chances:

"Everybody knows Spurs have a great team and if we can keep playing like this, then we're also favourites to win the title.

We know we are good and apart from the first two games, we have won almost every week."

While Manchester City are largely considered favourites for the Premier League trophy, it is clear Tottenham are also quite desperate to join the big boys, and such added motivation should give them the edge on Sunday.

How to Stop Gareth Bale?

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Gareth Bale might need double-marking in this match, given his form, his playmaking ability from the wing and how incredibly quick he is.

His teammate Luka Modric can be taken care of, especially seeing as holding midfielder Gareth Barry and the Man City defence make more interceptions than Modric does key passes.

Bale, however, poses a different threat. Not only does he make more key passes than any City player does interceptions, but he's also a lot quicker than their full-backs, even Micah Richards.

And not only is he a danger on the wings, but he's equally as effective cutting inside and, unlike almost every other player in the game, is completely unpredictable inside the final third—he can cross, shoot, play a square pass and thread a through-ball better than most other Premier League players when he is on form.

Manchester City haven't faced a player like an in-form Gareth Bale yet. The Welsh wing wizard will pose a new kind of problem to Mancini's side, and one it seems they could struggle to deal with.